US 12,608,480 B2 · Multi-function UEFI driver with update capabilities

Abstract

A driver, e.g., a UEFI driver (140), for a device (120) in a host (110) starts before an OS boot. The driver (140) provides functions including gathering information regarding the host system (110), directing the device (120) to transmit the gathered information to a cloud-based service (182), directing the device (120) to provide a catalog of current firmware, updating firmware in the host (110) or device (120) based on the catalog, and configuring the device (120). The device may be a storage processing unit (120) that is part of a cluster (100) that presents virtual volumes including a boot volume (138) for the host (110), and execution of the driver (140) can provide a delay until a boot volume (138) is ready.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

before a loading of an operating system in a host computer, executing, via a basic input output system (BIOS) of the host computer, a driver for a device connected to the host computer, the executing of the driver comprising:
retrieving, from the host computer, one or more information comprising current firmware of the host computer and providing the one or more information to the device;
providing the one or more information to a cloud-based management service for the device;
and
replacing, based on at least the one or more information, the current firmware in the host computer with updated firmware,
wherein the driver gathers the one or more information as the host computer powers up and again as the host computer performs a boot service exit.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

18/269,162Filed 22 Dec 2021 · us provisional application

Priority

22 Dec 2020

Published

US 2024/0086544 A114 Mar 2024

Granted

21 Apr 2026

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06F 9/4411
Bootstrapping: configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
G06F 21/575
Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates…:…
G06F 8/654
Updates: using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
G06F
Computing and data processing

Multi-function UEFI driver with update capabilities

Life of this patent

Multi-function UEFI driver with update capabilities

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15